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Summertime and fun times with visiting grandkids…four year-old Alec discovered the magic of fireflies last night and soon-to-be third grader, Evie, and I are sharing the experience of reading a new story, Waiting for the Magic, written by one of my favorite children’s authors, Patricia MacLachlan. But here’s a secret…she’s sleeping in and I’ll admit that I sneaked the book to the sunroom early this morning with a cup of my favorite coffee and just read the final page!!

A recent trip to a local chiropractor made me realize how important it is to focus on the core. The visit was scheduled to diagnose why I’ve been having sever headaches for the past year. After several x-rays, it was noted that the joints in my neck are misaligned, which is most likely the CORE issue causing my headaches. So, what does this have to do with the common core (or if you live in Kansas, the Kansas College and Career Ready standards)? Engaging staff and students in the common core is essential to the implementation success.

Rigor is a word receiving alot of attention in regards to the common core state standards. So what does it mean in terms of teaching and learning? The 8 mathematical practices and the college and career readiness standards give us a look at what rigor refers to.

Since I majored in mathematics in college, I obviously have a love of numbers, but I am not Rain Man. I can’t multiply two digit numbers by two digit numbers in my head quickly, and I figure out the lowest unit cost at the grocery store by using my calculator. However, I do have a pretty good conceptual understanding of mathematical processes and how they can be applied to solve problems. I’m not saying mental math is useless, but if we constructed a mathematical skills hierarchy, it wouldn’t be anywhere near the top. Unfortunately, teachers often focus on memorizing multiplication tab

Have you ever been at odds with “Joe” over his vocabulary homework assignments? Does he simply refuse to look up the words in the dictionary and then use them in a sentence even though on most days he’s engaged in the instruction in your classroom?

So have you hear the saying?…It's a journey, not a destination. Lately, I have heard that mentioned several times when discussing the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in math. Here are five websites that I believe will provide teachers with tools that make it a bit more of a comfortable journey.

Many teachers use formative assessments as a way to prep students for state testing. Teachers, in many ways have been "forced" to use formative assessments in this way in order to reach a proficiency target. However formative assessments are so much more than test prep, in fact I would say they should not be for test prep but rather a way to gauge where students are in relationship to the content goal.

I love the word “update.” I’m always considering how to update my hairstyle, wardrobe, my home decor; even a password must be changed occasionally. Updating suggests a fairly easy fix – a quick transition, however, it also suggests staying on the practical side.